On October 1, 2022, Montenegro became the 39th member state of the European Patent Organisation (EPO), meaning that Montenegro will automatically be included as a designated state for European patents filed on or after October 1, 2022. It is no longer necessary to pay the extension fee.
While it is not possible to designate Montenegro retroactively in applications filed before October 1, 2022, it was possible for applicants who filed applications in September 2022 to request that EPO indicates October 1, 2022 as their filing date in order to include Montenegro as a designated state.
The validation process for European patents designating Montenegro, whether they were filed between March 10, 2010 and September 30, 2022, when Montenegro was an Extension State, or starting from October 1, 2022, when Montenegro became a Contracting State, remains unchanged. Read more